Welcome to our June edition. I am very grateful that June marks our eleven-year anniversary here in the Lehigh Valley. The past eleven years has been full of many ups and downs, starts and stops, joys and regrets plus a heaping helping of hard work and crazy hours, but looking back and taking the experience as a whole; it has been awesome. I am very aware that we need the support of the community to be able to pay our bills and continue our mission. I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people and be welcomed into their homes and places of business. We are blessed to have so many supporters and readers that, in turn, support our advertisers. It is a true win-win-win situation where everyone comes out healthier and happier at the end of the day.

Another blessing is to have found the right people to help me create my goal of producing a world-class publication. It all starts with our home office in Naples, Florida but the freelance writers, editors, designers and distributors make it happen locally. I also have an awesome printer that can make environmentally responsible newsprint look like a million. Thanks to all who contribute.

I’m proud to say we have blazed a trail here in the Lehigh Valley. We were the first Natural Awakenings in Pennsylvania and I’m happy to report that we are now totally surrounded by localized franchises in all directions. I see this publication as a catalyst for change. At its core our message is to take responsibility for your own health and act to cultivate your best possible health and happiness. I am grateful for the opportunity to publish this magazine and I’m proud of the accomplishments we have made.

This issue not only contains some great information about how we can create livable communities, but we also take a look at how a healthy escape can recharge and reinvigorate us and propel us to new heights. I hope you will take time to break from routine and find a place to refresh. For now, I will take an opportunity before the July issue to take a healthy escape. Enjoy this issue and look for us for many, many more years to come.

Reid Boyer, Publisher